Freezing container



Mai-ch 22, 1938. A. @..KUEHMSTE 2,111,593

FREEZ ING CONTAINER Filed Nov. 19, 1954 2 sheets-sheet 1 v /yjl/ ,f 1 1 l A INVENToR.

A TTORNEY.

March 22, 193s.l A, O, KUEHMSTED A l 2,111,593A

' FREEZING CONTAINER FiledfNov. 191954 2 sheets-sheet 2 lNx/ENTOR. www

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glass and in which the lever means may be' Patented Mar. '224, 1938 umn-:D STATES PATENT orIilc'i?.V

V2.111,59?. FREEZING CONTAINER g Armin O. Kuehmsted, Chicago, Ill. Application November 19, 1934, Serial N0. 753,590

10 Claims.

My invention relates to freezing containers for iceless refrigerating units and is concerned more particularly with devising containers of the individual type that may be easily removed from the freezing trays, tray or freezing coils and which are shaped and arranged to facilitate the extractingv of the ice cubes.

One of the principal difficulties encountered with the use of domestic refrigerators of the ice- 0 on the floor or in the sink and generallyrendered unt for sanitary use.

y It is, therefore, one object of my invention to devise an individual freezing container which is adapted for association with others of like construction in the freezing tray to make individual ice cubes, each of the containers being provided with lever means to facilitate its separate Withdrawalv from the tray.

A further object is to'provide a container of the character indicated which is sized for insertion within a drinking glass, for example, whereby the ice cube may be loosened by the liquid in the .hooked over the rim of the glass'to support the container during the loosening action and utilized to withdraw the container thereafter, thereby avoiding any touching of the liduid or the ice cubes by the hands.

A further object is to provide a container of I the individual type in which one end wall is inclined or sloped to insure the slipping of the cube from the container when the latter is withdrawn from the glass or other receptacle.

These and further objects of myinvention will be set forth in the following specification, reference being had Yto the accompanying drawings,

` and the novel means by which said objects are eectuated will be definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective viewyof a typical freezing tray showing the same lled with a number of my individual freezing containers and with one of the latter being removed therefrom.

's' Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the individual containers.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a drinking glass, for example, showing the ease with which one of `my improved containers maybe inserted therein and covered by the liquid that is to be chilled.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig.` 3, but showing the container being withdrawn from the glass and the loosened icegcube slipping therefrom.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3, but showing a taller glass and illustrating the use of the hooked handle, with which each of the containers is provided, as a means for supporting the container from the rim of the glass during the cube-loosening action.

Figs. 6 and 'l are perspective views of modified types of containers.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral Ill designates a shallow freezing tray or pan of a type that is commonly employed with domestic refrigerating units and which maybe utilized to support my individual containers during the freezing operation.

The individual container is illustrated in Fig. 2 and is denofed by the numeral Il. This container is preferably formed of metal, or of some other rigid material that does not exert a deleterious effect on the freezing rate. .In general, it will be formed from sheet metal having a suitablev thickness which may be pressed into the form substantially as illustrated, comprising side walls I2, a bottom Wall I3, an end wall I4 and an inclined or sloping wall i5 for a purpose presently explained. The top of the container is open in order to receive the liquid to be frozen and the end wall l5 is so inclined that thearea of the `top is somewhat greater than the area ofthe bottom wall i3. I

A handle or lever I6 is secured to the ,vend-wall l structions may be employed as .,desired. `The,-r

handle I6 is extended away from `the,..end wall, i4 in slightly offsetmrelationuto the plane ofthe adjacent side wall l2. By fso arranging the handle I6, itis possible to place the containers in the end-to-end relation as illustrated in-Fig .-1, theA handle of one container extending along the'side of the next container in line. In order to facilitate grasping of the handle when it is desired to remove a container from the tray, each handle is preferably inclined to, and extends somewhat above, the plane including the top of all the containers. Any adjustmentof the height of the individual containers with respect to the depth of the tray Ilmay be effected in order to insure thatv an adequate portion of each'handle will be exposed for grasping and yet permit the insertion of the tray within the cooling unit of any standard typev of domestic refrigerator.

In using my improved containers, the latter will beplaced in the tray III afterl the general manner and arrangement indicated in Fig. 1, and each of the containers will then be iilled with the liquid to be frozen. The tray, however, is merely a convenient holder for the containers and hence it is contemplated that the containers may be rested directly on the freezing plate or on a shelf withinthe freezing coil. After the freezing action has been completed, any one of the containers may be simply and easily removed from the tray, either while the tray is in the refrigerator or after removal therefrom, by grasping the hooked end I8` of the handle I6 and merely lifting upwardly. 'Ihe leverage provided by the handle I6 is entirely adequate to break the frozen adherence of the container' to the bottom of the tray I0, notwithstanding that some water may have collected in the bottom of the Vtray when the containers were first filled. It is contemplated, however, that the adherence of the individual containers to the bottom ofthe tray III might be somewhat lessened by suitably perforating the bottom of the tray.

After the containers have been individually removed as described' above, the handle I6 provides a ready means for subsequently holding the container while the ice cube is being removed, either by the old method of holding the container under a faucet, for example, or by the method suggested in Figs." 3- to 5, inclusive. In this method, the container is inserted in a glass I9, or other receptacle, which contains the liquid to be chilled.

The latter soon loosens the cube from the container, whereupon the lattermay be withdrawn from the glass, as indicated in Fig. 4, the inclination of the end wall I 5 facilitating the slippage of the cube from the container, even in as small a receptacle as a drinking glass. vDuring this operation, it will be particularly noted that it is unnecessary to touch either the liquid to be chilled, or the ice cube, because the length of the handle I6 is such that these objectionable practices are avoided.

In Fig. 5 is shown a further use of the container, wherein the hooked end I8 of the handle is rested upon the rim of a deep glass 20. Thereafter,` the action would be substantially as indicated in Fig. 4, but it will be particularly noted that the hooked end I8 insures that the sanitary characteristics of the container will be maintained, notwithstanding the depth of the receptacle containing the liquid that is to be chilled. Y

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a modied type of container represented numerically by the numeral 2i, wherein the container itself' possesses substantially the same shape as that illustrated in Fig. 2. The handle or lever 22, however, is formed specially and is preferably pivoted as at 23 on oneof the side walls or the container. In the use of this type of handle, one arm 24 of the handle 22 is swung into the dotted position shownf in Fig. 6 to thereby bear against the bottom of the tray III, for example, whereby the container 2l is loosened from the tray. A tab 2l may extend outwardly from the container to support the handle in the position shown during the freezing operation.

Referringto Fig. 7 there is illustrated a further modiiication in which one side wall 21 of the container is provided with a socket 2l, which may be formed, for example, by making the side wall with a tab which is subsequently rolled or curled to make the socket. The latter is provided with a bayonet slot 30 whose walls are intended to engage with a pin 3| on a convenient detachable handle 32. 'I'he handle is inserted in the socket with the pin in the slot and then turned to place the pin in the slot portion 32, thereby locking the indicated parts together and enabling the container to be lifted out of the freezing tray.

It will be understood that many changes may be made in the shape of the container without affecting the scope of the general conception set forth in this application and that the inclined end wall may be curved or otherwise shaped, provided that the general direction of this wall is such as to facilitate the slippage of the ice block in the manner indicated.

I claim:

1. The combination of a shallow freezing tray and a plurality of separate, open top, freezing containers resting on the bottom thereof,l the tray and associated containers being adapted for insertion within the cooling unit of an iceless refrigerator, each of the containers having a handle secured thereto and adapted to be grasped to break the frozen adherence of thel associated container to the tray by raising the handle, and each handle having a portion extending above the upper edges of an adjacent container to facilitate it being grasped.

2. The combination of a shallow freezing tray and a plurality of separate, open top, freezing containers resting on the bottom thereof, the tray and associated containers being adapted for insertion within the cooling unit of an iceless refrigerator, each of the containers having a handle extending in offsetrrelation to one side thereof to permit close positioning of the containers in the tray and each handle having a portion extending above the upper edges of an adjacent container to facilitate the handle being grasped for breaking the frozen adherence of the associated container to the tray.

3. A freezing container of the individual type having enclosing side and end walls, a bottom and an open top, one of the end walls being inclined suiiiciently to insure slippage of the ice chilled, and a'handle for supporting the container during immersion whereby dipping of the fingers in the liquid is avoided.

4. A freezing container of the individual type adapted to be placed with other containers of like construction in the freezing compartment of an iceless refrigerator and having stlifened side, end and bottom walls and an open top for discharging tlie formed ice cake, and a substantially horizontally disposed handle secured thereto in offset relation to the plane of the top.

5. A' freezing container of the individual type adapted to beplaced with other containers of like construction in the freezing compartment of an iceless refrigerator and having stiened side,

mummiav end and bottom walls and an open top for dis- I a rigid handle secured to and projecting vfrom the vcontainer in offset ,relation to a side wall charging the formed ice cake, and a substantially `horizontally disposed handle secured thereto in offset relation to the plane of the top' and to an adjacentside wall, respectively.

6. The combination of a shallow` freezing tray and a yplurality of separate, open top, freezing containers resting on the bottom thereof, the tray and associated containers being adapted for insertion within the cooling of an iceless re'- ifrigerator, each of the containers having a substantially horizontally disposed handle secured i .thereto in offset relation to the plane of the top thereof to permit close positioning of the con- Itainers in the tray and to facilitate the handle being grasped for breaking the frozen adherence of the associated container to the tray'.

'7. A freezing container of the individual. type adapted to be placed with other containers of like construction in the freezing compartment of an iceless refrigerating unit and having rigid side, end and. bottom walls and an' open top for discharging the formed ice cake, and a handle projecting from one of the upstanding walls above the plane o'f the top and adaptedvto be grasped to break the frozen adherence of the container to the door of the compartment by raising the handle.

8,. A freezing container of the `-individual type adapted to be placed withv other containers of .like

construction in thel freezing compartment of an iceless refrigerating unit and having rigid side, end and bottom walls and an open top, and

thereof, the handle being adapted to be grasped to break the frozen adherence of the container to the oor of the compartment by raising the the container to the floor of the compartment by .raising the'handle,the free end of the handle being hooked to facilitate grasping by the fingers and tosupport the container on the lip of a receptacle into which the ice cake is to be discharged.

10. A freezing container of the individual type having enclosing side and end walls, a, bottom and an open top having'a greater area thanthe bottom, one of the end walls being inclined to the bottom and forming therewith a larger angle than the other end wall to. thereby insure down? ward slippage of the ice cake from the container when the container is immersed in the liquid to be chilled and moved upwardly, the open top occupying a substantially vertical position and said inclined end pointing downwardly during discharge of the ice cake.

ARMIN O. KUEHESTED. 

